Neighbors hear gunfire; suspected illegal night hunter arrested

YORK, S.C. — Residents who live on Longleaf Road near York heard gunfire late Monday night outside their homes.

York County sheriff's deputies arrived to find a pickup truck parked in the road.

Officers with the Department of Natural Resources were called to the scene and arrested 19-year-old Samuel Williams. Officers said Williams was shooting deer from the roadway in his truck using spotlights, and he was trespassing.

DNR Officer Aukeem Ruff said it's extremely dangerous to anyone who lives nearby.

"Any time you're using a high-powered rifle, especially if you're shooting on level ground, those bullets can travel miles upon miles away and what you risk happening is a bullet hitting somebody's house -- and potentially hurting somebody or killing somebody," Ruff said.

It's rare that those kinds of crimes are reported and even more rare that someone is still there when law enforcement arrives.

At the edge of a wood line, officers found two dead fawns -- each only a month or so old.

Killing fawns isn't illegal but hunters don't shoot them, because Ruff said it's unethical at the least.

"It puts a bad name for people who are not hunters," Ruff said. "Like, oh, these people are just going out and killing any and everything and that's not how it works."

Ruff said they take night hunting seriously and encourage people to report it so they can make arrests.

Court documents show that in August 2018 Williams was found guilty of hunting without a license.

He's now charged with using lights to night hunt, hunting without a license, hunting on land without permission and taking or harvesting deer unlawfully, which are misdemeanors.

As of late Tuesday, a bond had not been set on those misdemeanor charges.

This is an ongoing investigation. Check back with wsoctv.com for more information.

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